Pirates wrap up summer football workouts

Wednesday

Aug 2, 2017 at 2:01 AM

By Andy Mikula, Correspondent

Summer workouts for the Matanzas football team wrapped up last week and now the Pirate ship shoves off for the official beginning of fall practice and the run up to the start of the season in three weeks.

The squad got a bit of a head start at the end of last week with participation in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes team football camp, co-hosted by Stetson University at DeLand’s Sperling Sports Complex.

Head coach Robert Ripley and his assistants took prospective varsity players and a handful of young up-and-comers, 41 in all, to the full pads camp. Allowed, but not sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association, camps like the FCA camp give players a chance to work out in full gear, minus the heavy contact that commences later this week.

“It kind of gives us an extra five days of practice,” Ripley said last week during the last day of “walk throughs” prior to heading to DeLand.

Walk throughs involve a full squad run through the play book, with no contact and no equipment used. The offense works out the bugs of the passing game while defenders work on coverage strategies and pursuit drills.

The summer workouts for Matanzas have been encouraging for Ripley, even if the numbers aren’t quite as expected. About 66 returning and new players showed up consistently and made progress in the 10 weeks of summer conditioning.

“We’ll pick up a few kids once school starts, but of course some of them will drop out as we go,” Ripley said.

The Pirates, eager to prove last season's 8-2 record and district runner-up spot in the FHSAA playoffs was no fluke, are raring to go.

Matanzas has several significant holes in the lineup to plug with the graduation of area defensive player of the year Nick Kubiet (now at Tulane) and Phillip Moultrie at running back. Replacing Kubiet will be a challenge because he was such a threat as a pass rusher and in short coverage. Devin Mathews, son of defensive coordinator Don Mathews, is the top returning defender at outside linebacker and he has proven his mettle by accepting an offer to play at Navy after he graduates in 2018.

At running back, the likely candidate for feature back is Trent Steward, who started every game and produced 600 yards rushing last year in the Pirates’ two-back attack. A couple of youngsters, Tristan Williams-White and Shawn LeBeau, will also get a lot of consideration based on their performances this summer.

Other key returnees include senior safety Cory Steward, who led the area in interceptions in 2016, and senior defensive back Shane Riley, who can play all four positions in the defensive backfield. Senior right guard Daniel Leonard anchors an offensive line that will also include returning center Logan Wells, junior tight end Jacob Miley, fullback Matt Newsholme and tackle Christian Zaborowski.

The team also graduated two-year starting quarterback MacKenzy Wagner, who's headed to Warner University in Lake Wales. Junior Ryan Thomas, at 6-2, 190, is more than capable of assuming the role. A drawback is that Thomas is, as of now, the only signal caller on the roster headed into camp, meaning the backup quarterback may have to be plucked from another position if Thomas can't play.

Ripley says it will be a challenge filling out the junior varsity with limited numbers of prospective players.

“That, right now, is my biggest concern because we may have to move some kids up right away," he said. "It may mean we have to play fewer games, maybe only four JV games.”

The Pirates’ kickoff classic preseason game is Aug. 17 at Jacksonville Ed White and the regular season opener against county rival Flagler Palm Coast at FPC’s Sal Campanella Memorial Stadium is Aug. 25.